Thursday, October 20, 2011

﻿The little kitten we rescued from the wild has taken to her new home so well, you would never know she was brought up wild. She loves to play with Junior, my 18 year black male, and he has accepted her into the family without question. Here he is giving her a bath, and she only complains when he pays too much attention to her nether regions.

It took quite a bit of debating on a name for our new, little kitty, but we finally settled on 'Georgia Winifred', and we've been calling her Georgie for short. No one escapes a nickname in this house, and I'm sure, with her strong character, she will earn many.

JuJu (Junior-the black one), has been having to put up with being chased continuously. Anytime he decides to go for a walk, she is relentlessly at his heals, playfully nipping at his paws and backside and jumping for his tail. If JJ gets tired of it, he jumps on a windowsill, and she looks up at him with eyes that say, "Now, that's just not fair!". But the old fellow is a snuggler, and he has been enjoying having a companion once again for his catnaps. I know he'll enjoy her even more when she's got more weight and therefore more warmth to give off.

There is some good and bads news where Mama Cat is concerned. The good news is that she has happily moved into the new heated cat house we put on the deck last week. The bad news is that she has not brought anymore kittens, so it looks like the other two did not survive, (sniffle).

Sunday, October 9, 2011

On September 1st, while doing some yard clean-up, we came across a Mama kitty and here litter of 3. We promptly set up a proper shelter for them and brought Mama some food and water. By the next morning she had moved herself and the week or so old kittens to a place we couldn't find.

We just kept taking food out, and it kept disappearing. Curious as to who I was feeding, I put the food on the deck, and sure enough, Mama showed up. Twice a day, everyday, she enjoys her meals on the deck under the picture window in my dining room. But, we can not get close to her. She will sit about 5 feet away, and if you take one step nearer, she bolts. Hopefully, in time, this will change.

After about a month, I really started looking for the place she was hiding her litter. For feral cats, 6 to 7 weeks is not too early to intervene. But I had no luck.

Then, yesterday morning, while blogging actually, I heard a terrible cry from outside. I quickly threw on a coat and started searching. It was coming from under the deck. It took me awhile, but after a bit of tag playing, she settled down under a board right beneath the front door and refused to move. I got a drill, removed that board and plucked the kitten out before she new what was going on. She instantly clung to me, and stayed close for several hours.

We recognized her from that litter of 3 right away. She is a very unique colour mixture of black and orange. Whether the other 2 are still alive, I don't know. But, Mama is still coming for her meals, and hopefully one day we will be able to befriend her also.

We haven't settled on a name yet, but 'Tiger Tiger' and 'TT' has been tossed around. She is bonding and settling in very nicely. She has even received her first bath from my 18 year old male, Junior, and has used the litter box on her own. We've already visited the vet and will again in a couple of weeks for her first set of shots.

Everyone is so glad to have another kitty in the house, especially after recently having to say goodbye to our sweet Sarah, who we loved for 14 years. Life can only be described as bittersweet.﻿

Saturday, October 8, 2011

﻿There have been so many pictures online of beautiful, inspiring front porches decorated for the season that I thought I ought to share mine. I have this gorgeous set of iron planters that I always have something going on in. This fall it is chrysanthemums in the perfect autumn colours, homegrown pumpkins, gourds, and corn. There is a wreath made from Engelmens Ivy and a few handmade brooms I threw together with caragana branches, twigs and grass.

On the other side are my set of black, basket weave planters. They contain another chrysanthemum, poplar brances, corn stalks, cattail grass and a couple of super cute gifts from my sister. She gave me that little ghost solar lantern and, look closely, there is a crow she created from corn husks. I have no idea how she did this, but I plan on going out for a lesson. I also had a couple of pumpkins that lost their stems, and so they have been stacked and topped with a gourd, that apparently is trying to blend in with his cousins. That is the only one I have out of 21 gourds that has turned orange

Friday, October 7, 2011

Any pumpkins that were ripe, (and a few that were not) have found their way to various locations inside the house. They are in piles on the floor near cabinets and the front door. They are lining the staircase and the half wall, and a few have found their way onto pedestals and window sills. Yay, I actually have deep window sills in my new house! There are still about 80 greenish turning orangish ones on pallets in the garage.

There are several clusters of grapevine pumpkins, (not all shown) and there are the ones I have crocheted while watching many a movie. There are also metal pumpkins and mini pumpkins on vines (putka pods), and pumpkins in paintings on the wall, (also not shown).

The wooden signs that say 'Trick or Treat' and "Happy Halloween' along with the countdown to Halloween blocks, I created this past week.

There is an antique, glass jug which my sister gave me last week, and it contains jelly eyeballs.

There are ravens galore! No, I do not just keep moving around the same one so that I have one in a bunch of photos. There are 3 large ones and a dozen or so smaller ones scattered here and there. I even have a gorgeous metal statue of one up on my buffet. I think I'll have to do another montage.

There are fall leaves, some real (preserved with glycerin) and some fake. They add colour wherever a dose is needed.

I have also done up the front porch. I'll save that one for the week-end's entry.

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Open the front door to my house, and you are greeted by a large landing with 13 foot ceilings. There is a mudroom/laundry room at the end, across from the entry, directly to your right is a large, 4 step up, curved set of stairs up into the kitchen/dining area, and to your left is a double set of closets. Mainly, there is a lot of room for decorating.

This is just one of the pieces I have down there now. It is an antique (circa 1940) wash stand that my sister picked up for me at an auction. It will always be decorated for the season.

Here is what I did for Halloween. The little sign hangs from what would have been used for towels, and I have a garland strung across and hanging down the side. The bowls currently contain black licorice, black and orange gummy worms, and the big bowl is holding a mixture of autumn coloured candy. I've had to refill these twice in 2 weeks, and I've been able to keep my freezer stash of goodies just a bit longer than usual. The raven and the crow finish off a look that I feel is rather effective.

We've just got started our decorating for Halloween, and we have all sorts of plans for this year's display. I'll keep posting as we keep doing. I hope you enjoy the process. Happy October everyone!﻿

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Meet Jared, my 6 year old boy, a tumbling ball of energy. I've yet to meet a Mother of a little boy who cannot relate to me.

His most frequent question is,"Mommy, can I climb this?". His second favourite is, "Mommy, can I hit this with that?". His third, and this is what makes up for all the rest, is, "Mommy, can I have a kiss and a hug?". Well, at least I don't have to say no all the time.

Creative, imaginative, energetic, and my favourite, snuggly, are all words that perfectly describe my little guy. My daughter was the poster girl for independence, never wanting to be held, let alone snuggled, so since this wee creature entered my life 6 years ago, well, let's just say, I've yet to have a snuggle-free day. Works for me, as I've always been a snuggler and it drove me crazy when I learnt that my first baby (girl) just needed to be put down to stop crying.

I miss the days of having a tiny baby in my arms, and even though my kids are getting too big and too heavy to be carried around, as long as I can lift them, I will pick them up for their hugs and kisses, carry them to the nearest bed, plunk them down and tickle them. I truly dread the time when those days will be over.